Fastening mechanisms, such as zippers, have long been included on garments to aid in releasably binding edges of an opening of the garment together. Zippers typically include a first and second portion of tape from which teeth protrude, a slider that facilitates the joining of the teeth and a pull-tab that extends from the slider and can be pulled by an individual to aid in moving the slider along the teeth.
On some garments, such as dresses, zippers are fixed to edges of fabric at the rear of the dress. It can be challenging for an individual wearing the dress to grasp and move the pull-tab along the teeth without having to, for example, contort their body, request assistance or, where possible, rotate the dress so that the zipper can be closed and then readjust the dress to the intended orientation on the individual's body. In other instances, where the individual can reach the zipper, due to the angle at which they must grasp the zipper, they risk possibly damaging the garment and/or zipper.
Devices designed for extending/retracting, ratcheting and spooling in general are known. However, these devices typically have undesirable drawbacks. For example, one known ratcheting mechanisms can produce an undesirable noise when a cord is pulled due to the interaction of the parts of said mechanism. Another known ratcheting mechanism requires pressure to be applied thereto to prevent rotation of a spool and in turn extension or retraction of a cord. As will be described in detail below, the present invention overcomes drawbacks of these devices by allowing for control of both the extension and retraction of a cord with a clip attached to one end of the cord.